Fire at hostel kills nine homeless people

Nine homeless people in Germany were killed early yesterday after a fire swept through their hostel. The blaze took place in the town of Halberstadt, 100 miles west of Berlin, before dawn, police said.

The cause was not immediately known but there was no sign of arson, according to police spokesman Eckhard Timpe. The blaze started in a series of container units, which are run by the local authorities.

Fifteen men and one woman had been living in the units and the woman was not among the fatalities, Mr Timpe said. Three people were treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.